Fig. 3.

(a) Chart shows mRNA levels of caspase-3 and TfR in Ishikawa cells treated with 40 μM DHA or 20 μM cisplatin alone or in combination, as assessed by qRT-PCR (normalised to the housekeeping gene ACTB). DHA treatment induced increased cleavage of caspase-3 in human endometrial cancer cells. (b) Chart shows levels of cleaved caspase-3 protein, which were measured by ELISA to determine whether DHA treatment triggered caspase activation in Ishikawa cells. Addition of DHA and/or cisplatin led to significantly higher cleaved caspase-3 levels. Bars represent mean ± standard deviation from three independent experiments. *p < 0.05 was statistically significant when compared to control cells. DHA: dihydroartemisinin; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; qRT-PCR: real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; TfR: transferrin receptor